Are there limitations to the colors you paint the exterior of your home?
@LovingLife139 (1504)
United States
November 3, 2009 2:12pm CST
Hello everyone! Since moving into our house back in March, my husband and I have been making many changes to it. I love BRIGHT colors, and we've painted all of the interior walls of our house in colors of lime green, bright yellow, a beautiful periwinkle blue, orange, and I even have a bright pink laundry room. 
The outside of our house is made of paneling and needs painted. Currently the paneling is a dull yellow and the shutters around our windows are a dull blue. TOO dull. I'd like to spice it up a bit...no matter what, I want BRIGHT colors. I'm talking fuschias, purples, turquoises, yellows, greens, etc. I told my father this, who like me, works in real estate...and he said there may be limitations either legally or I may receive complaints that the house is "distracting." (Our house is next to a street.) Of course, neither of us has tried to paint one of our properties bright colors in the past before, so we're not sure about this. I attempted to research on the internet, but am finding no laws or even advice regarding this.
Has anyone had experience with this? Have you painted the exterior of a building really bright only to have to repaint it because of some limitation or law? If not, do you receive complaints and how does this effect you?
If there are laws, just for the record my husband and I live in Ohio in the United States. If there are limitations to bright colors, would painting the paneling a subtle color and the door/shutters a bright color be an option?
Thanks for anyone who can help us with this. I'm having the hardest time finding information about it! 
The outside of our house is made of paneling and needs painted. Currently the paneling is a dull yellow and the shutters around our windows are a dull blue. TOO dull. I'd like to spice it up a bit...no matter what, I want BRIGHT colors. I'm talking fuschias, purples, turquoises, yellows, greens, etc. I told my father this, who like me, works in real estate...and he said there may be limitations either legally or I may receive complaints that the house is "distracting." (Our house is next to a street.) Of course, neither of us has tried to paint one of our properties bright colors in the past before, so we're not sure about this. I attempted to research on the internet, but am finding no laws or even advice regarding this.
Has anyone had experience with this? Have you painted the exterior of a building really bright only to have to repaint it because of some limitation or law? If not, do you receive complaints and how does this effect you?
If there are laws, just for the record my husband and I live in Ohio in the United States. If there are limitations to bright colors, would painting the paneling a subtle color and the door/shutters a bright color be an option?
Thanks for anyone who can help us with this. I'm having the hardest time finding information about it! 1 person likes this
12 responses
@cloudwatcher (6861)
• Australia
4 Nov 09
Here in Australia there would not be any laws to prohibit the colour of houses of other buildings, but if the house is in a new residential development or in an historical area, there could be a local Council law stating that renovations should be in keeping with the area. For instance, I know of one area where brick homes are not allowed because the area is all Queenslander-type homes (high blocked timber houses) and another newer area where the houses must be brick, with no timber homes allowed.
Many businesses here, especially ones in the suburbs, paint their buildings in bright colours. I can think of two businesses with huge buildings which are clearly identifiable anywhere in Australia by their colour. Bunnings (home hardware) is a big green building and OfficeWorks is a bright blue.
Most of our newer homes are brick or concrete, but many have bright trims and roofs. We also have a few brightly coloured timber homes, but most are cream or white with bright trims. The problem with bright colours here in Queensland is that they fade so quickly.
In the final count, the choice is yours. Paint it whatever you like (and don't forget to post a pic of it so we can admire it)
2 people like this
@LovingLife139 (1504)
• United States
4 Nov 09
Ooo...blue and green business buildings. I would love to see those! We have a lime green building we pass when we go downtown to the city...it's a beef jerky factory, and it's real tiny, but it's lime green and just beautifully individiualistic. Someone responded earlier that exterior paint may be hard to find in bright colors, so we may just brighten up the colors we have now, and hopefully that will be done in the warmer weather next spring. I'll try to remember to upload pictures. 
@cloudwatcher (6861)
• Australia
4 Nov 09
Exterior paints here are alive with colour - you'd have no trouble finding the very brightest if you wanted them.
@rodsdman (145)
• United States
3 Nov 09
Not sure about your area specifically, but here in NH, if the area is designated as an historical district then they have specific rules about how a house can look. Mostly you have to stick with red or white for the siding, and a complementing dark color for the shutters and doors. Just check with the city council or selectmans office, or the deed for the house. If there are any covenants about this, they would have to be written down somewhere.
In my personal oppinion, if you stick to standard colors you will be better off, especialy when you go to resell it. Many people dont like purples and yellows, I would stick with white or tans, maybe red.
2 people like this
@LovingLife139 (1504)
• United States
4 Nov 09
I agree...standard colors are good for the resale value...in the meantime I think I will go nuts with a dull house. 
There's a house not too far from ours that looks like a dollhouse...it's bright pink with fuschia trim and has hanging baskets and little white doily looking shutters. I love that house simply because it's colorful.
Thanks for the advice...I have a brochure from our state representative which we received shortly after moving here. Although none of the services hint at real estate, perhaps I could call his office and ask where I should turn to.
There's a house not too far from ours that looks like a dollhouse...it's bright pink with fuschia trim and has hanging baskets and little white doily looking shutters. I love that house simply because it's colorful.
Thanks for the advice...I have a brochure from our state representative which we received shortly after moving here. Although none of the services hint at real estate, perhaps I could call his office and ask where I should turn to. 1 person likes this
@LovingLife139 (1504)
• United States
4 Nov 09
Well, as we have yet to live in it for a year, that's far in the future...but I suppose we would repaint it if it would help the resale value. Our house was pretty beat up when we bought it, so painting it at all helps the value. I have heard that certain colors keep people from snatching it up, though. 
1 person likes this
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
4 Nov 09
I am not sure if there are any laws or limitations but I imagine you can call your local lowes or some place that sells paint (a hardware store more probable) and ask them if they know of any laws or regulations against brightly colored homes. They may not even make exterior paint for bright colors.
1 person likes this
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
8 Nov 09
Good luck on getting your husband to consider pink! I know my husband wouldn't, though my favorite colors are purple and red.
@LovingLife139 (1504)
• United States
4 Nov 09
I didn't think of asking the people at the paint store! Thanks for bringing that up. Maybe they've gotten that question before. I did look up exterior paint colors, and the selection is hardly a percentage of that we chose from for the interior. My husband thinks we should stick to yellow and blue but just make it brighter...I'm going to try to get him to consider pink instead of blue, but we'll see.
2 people like this
@happy6162 (3001)
• United States
4 Nov 09
I am not sure if there are any limitations on the color you can paint the exterior of your home. When we brought our house over 20 years ago it was a bright red even the garage. I really did not like the color and after living in the house for four years I paint it a medium grey and the trim is a very light grey. I like it alot better. You could go and check at city hall and see if they know if there are any limitations on the color you can paint the outside of your house.
1 person likes this
@faikeijames (247)
• United States
3 Nov 09
I live in VA and I've seen bright colored shingles, but I don't know if they've gotten permission or not. I would try the local courthouse and look up real estate laws. I also know that if you belong to the home owners society, they have strict policies on what you can do and what you can't do. I agree with you, I LOVE bright colors and I hate to see houses on one block that looks the same....I want to go to their house and tell them to paint! Good luck and I hope everything works out in your favor.
2 people like this
@LovingLife139 (1504)
• United States
4 Nov 09
Haha...like minded colorful people, we are! Our house is the only house on our side of the street that isn't white, but it's still much too dull. Even if I don't paint the outside a really obnoxiously bright color, I need to make it as bright as I can!
Thank goodness I don't belong to any society of the sort...I've been trying to look up real estate laws on exterior paint regulations or anything that could give me a hint...but I can't find anything. We'll see, and thanks for the good wishes!
1 person likes this
@margieanneart (26423)
• United States
4 Nov 09
If you live in a community, you most likly have to stick with the laws and guide lines.
If you don't, you might want to check the law out first, if it is going to be a bright color.
Good luck.
@copperkitten (3473)
• United States
4 Nov 09
Wow your brave to use such bold bright colors!. For inside its not a big deal but for the outside I wouldnt recomend such bright colors. If it was me I would do something like a medium color on the house and maybe bright colors on the shutters or window/door frames. I really do think a bright house would be very distracting. It would suck to spend the money to paint it bright to have to repaint later. Thats just my opinion though.
~May The Kisses Of An Angel Cover And Protect You Always!~ Copper
@oXAquaXo (607)
• United States
4 Nov 09
I'm pretty sure there is no law against this, but I think people have had issues with this in the past. I think it should be ok, as long as the colors are not TOO bright and distracting. I think it may be ok if the house stands out a bit, but doesn't totally attract all of the attention. I personally like light, soft colors, and we've never had to paint our exterior, as it's brick and it would have taken too long, so I really don't have any experience in this. Good luck!
1 person likes this
@raisur (423)
• Bangladesh
6 Nov 09
Sorry, can't help you about the legal part, I live far from your place and know nothing about the law of your land... I think, bright colors should be just fine if it is chosen aesthetically and the color suits the surroundings... distraction may be caused by both horrible and terrific things... so, mere causing distraction shouldn't be a case for launching complaints...
@TheMonkeyKing (152)
• Philippines
8 Dec 09
Hi! I don't think you'll find limitations. The worst that can happen is for someone---like a neighbor, to crap about it.
Out in the Mediterranean, and Latin countries some houses are painted bright blue for shutters and orange for exterior walls. Others have a yellow ochre walls which can also be attractive and appealing.
I would suggest that you go ahead with your plans and if you're still not sure, try to find some books. I've used some of them for color reference when I get stumped. You'll find some very interesting color combinations in most of them. I hope I'm not too late and you now have a "dull" house. :)
@Merry343 (26)
• United States
4 Nov 09
First of all, let me just say that I am SO jealous you have a pink laundry room. Like, I would FREAK out to have a pink Laundry room... I'm going to have to have a chat with my boyfriend about that! Haha!
Anyway, I like the idea of brightening up the outside with the colors that are already there... blue and yellow. You may be better off in the long run. It takes a lot to paint a house and I sure wouldn't be willing to redo it before selling it later. What if you did what's already there and then maybe you could brighten the rest up with flowers and such? Just a thought!
@LovingLife139 (1504)
• United States
4 Nov 09
When we were painting the interior walls of the house before we moved in, we had used red, green, yellow, blue, and a bright peach for the upstairs, and we hadn't thought of the downstairs yet. Since I had painted the upstairs in according to the four seasons (our living room, which is autumn, is the red room, etc.) and the downstairs didn't have a theme, we decided to use colors we hadn't used yet. So the bright pink went in the laundry room, but right when you walk downstairs you find yourself in a bright orange storage area...it reminds me of the peel of a clementine. Our garage, although not painted yet, will be a deep purple, like a grape...and then our storm shelter will be painted black, and I'm going to try to do some art on the walls and paint the solar system in there.
When people come over our house it's definitely shocking, but I adore it. Bright pink may make others wonder about you, but when I go down to do laundry, it's a lot more fun and less daunting to do work in a bright pink room. The color shouldn't matter that much...yet, it makes all the difference. Bring it up to your boyfriend and see what he says.
Our garage, although not painted yet, will be a deep purple, like a grape...and then our storm shelter will be painted black, and I'm going to try to do some art on the walls and paint the solar system in there.
When people come over our house it's definitely shocking, but I adore it. Bright pink may make others wonder about you, but when I go down to do laundry, it's a lot more fun and less daunting to do work in a bright pink room. The color shouldn't matter that much...yet, it makes all the difference. Bring it up to your boyfriend and see what he says. 